A telebehavioral counseling draws greater attention, many clinicians continue to have concerns about its suitability for a significant portion of the population. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Even though mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety impact around one in four Americans each year, only 43.1 percent receive treatment for their condition. In an effort to both extend the mental health treatment radius and destigmatize access to care, many employers are considering alternatives outside of the traditional therapeutic model, such as virtual therapy or telebehavioral counseling.

Telebehavioral counseling, be it by phone, video, email or text message, has been around in one form or another for more than 20 years. More recently, the explosion of smartphone users has created opportunities for health care providers to offer a variety of accessible and affordable virtual behavioral health resources. However, even as telebehavioral counseling draws greater attention, many clinicians (including those most qualified to provide telebehavioral counseling) continue to have concerns about its suitability for a significant portion of the population—especially when marketed as a 'one-size-fits-all' replacement for in-person counseling.

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